The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1887-09-02
5Niscell
A BOARD FENCE.
THERE'S A MORAL 1T.


ter !" cried Mr.. Babcock, waving his arms
as he chased a dozen sheep and lambs
through the gap in the fence.
1t was wood fence, and when he had sue
ceeded in driving the animals to the other
side of it he lifted it from the reclining posi-
ton and propped it up with stakes. This
was an operation he had found himself
obliged to repeat many times in the course
of the season, and not only of that season,
but of several previous seasons.
Yet Mr.. Babcock was neither slack nor
thriftless; in fact, he rather prided himself
on the ordinary appearance of his farm, and
not without reason. How, then, shall we
account for his negligence in this particular
line?
The truth was that his fence formed the
boundary line between his estate and that of
Mr.. Small, and three generations of men who
owned these estates had been unable to de-
eide to whom it belonged to rebuild and
keep it in repair II the owners had CHANGED
to be men of peaceful dispositions, they
would have compromised the matter and
avoided quarrel; but if, on the contrary,
they belonged to that much larger class who
would sooner sacrifice their own comfort
and convenience than their so-called rights,
this fence would have been a source of un-
ending pickering and strife.
Alu Vi tulS CluSS WcTt lHC pTGStuL OWucTS.
Again and again they had consulted their re-
spective lawyers on the subject and dragged
from their hiding places many old deeds and
records, but always with the same result.
II say it belongs to you to keep it in repair !;
that's as plain as pike-staff," Mr.. Babcock
would say.
sand | say it belongs to you-any fool
might see that" Mr.. Small would reply and
then high words would follow, and then they
would part in anger, more determined and
obstinate than ever The lawyers fees and
the loss by damage from others cattle had
already amounted to sum sufficient to have
built fence around their entire estates, but
what was that compared to the satisfaction
of having their own way?
AT last one day Miss Letitia Gill, woman
much respected in the village, and of some
weight as land owner and taxpayer, sent
for Mr.. Babcock to come see her ON bust
ness, a summons which he made haste to
obey, as how could it be otherwise when
lady was concerned?
Miss 1etita sat at her window sewing a
seam, but she dropped her work and took off
her spectacles when Mr. Babcock made his
appearance.
$50 you got my message; thank you for
coming, I'm sure. Sit down. | suppose my
man Isaac told you wanted to consult you
on business-a matter OF equity, may say. 1t
can't be expected that we women folks should
be the best judges about such things, you
know. There's Isaac, to be sure, but then as
he lives on the place. maybe he won't be ex.
aclly impartial in his judgment about our
affairs"
'Jes So" said Mr.. Babcock.
"Well, the state of the case is this. When
Isaac came up from the meadow to dinner
they're moving the long meadow to-day and
an uncommon good yield there is-when he
came up to dinner he found that stray cows
had broken into the vegetable garden"
ale did, hey?"
you can fancy the riot made | declare
Isaac was almost ready to use profane Ian.
guage. am not sure that he didn't; and, after
all, couldn't feel to reproach him very severe
ly for the pains he had taken with that
garden is something amazing; working it,
Mr.. Babcock early and late, wedding, dig
cling and watering, and now to see it all torn
and trampled so that you wouldn't know
which was beets and which was cucumbers.
It's enough to raise auybody's temper.
"And that isn't all, for by the looks of
things they must have been rampaging in
the orchard and clover field before they got
into the garden. Just you come and see,"
and putting on her sun-bonnet, Miss Letitia
showed Mr.. Babcock over the damaged pre-
cincts
"You don't happen to know whose ami
mails did the mischief?" said Mr.. Babcock.
swell, | didn't observe them in particular
myself, but Isaac said there was one with
peculiar white mark, something like a cross,
on its haunch."
"Why, that's Small's old brindle," cried
Mr.. Babcock,"I know the mark as well as
the nose on my face. She had balls on her
horns, hadn't she ?"
Eyes, so Isaac said"
"And u kind ola hump on her back?"
GA perfect dromedary," said Miss Letitia.
II noticed that myself"
"Those were Smalrs cows, no doubt of 1t
at ALL" said Mr. Babcock, rubbing his
hands.
mo sheep with them. hey?"
"Well, now think Of it, there were sheep
they ran away as soon as they saw Isaac.
Yes, certainly there were Sheep" said Miss
Lctitia.
II knew it-they always go with tue
cows and what do you want of me-"
cts to fix damages" said Miss Letitia.
"As | said before, women folks were no
Judges about such matters"
Mr.. Babcock meditated moment, and
then said
"Well l wouldn't take cent less than
seventy-five dollars, if l were you-not a
cent"
"Seventy-fve dollars Isn't that a good
deal, MIR. Babcock =? You know don't wish
to be hard on the poor man all l want is
fair compensation for the mischief which has
! been DONE"
"Seventy-five dollars is fair, ma'am-in
fact wouldn't have herd of cattle and sheep
tramping through my premises in this way
for hundred"
"Then one thing l forgot to state; the
orchard gate was open, or they couldn't have
got in that may make difference"
mot bit. Not bit. You'd right to
have your gate open, but Smalls cows had
no right to run loose. | hope Isaac drove
them to the pound, didn't he !"
II heard him say he'd shut 'em up some
where, and didn't mean to let 'em out till the
owner called for 'em. Mr.. Babcock, what il
he should refuse to pay for the damages"
"He won't refuse, and if be does, Keep the